Improvement in machines for knitting fancy-loom harness



W. A.. HODGKINS.

MACHINES FGRIKNITTING FANcYL-ooM HARNESS.v

N. FI'EHS, PM0TD LITNCGRAPNEhl WASHINGTON. 11C.

Urrnn rrAfrns WILLIAM A. HODGKINS, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,55, dated July 18, 1876; application filed May 13, 1876.

To all whom it Imuy concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. HODGKINS,

y of Lawrence, of the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Machine for the Manufacture or Knitting of Fancy-Loom Harness; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is a front elevation of such machine, Fig. 2 being a vertical and longitudinal section of its driving-shaft and the clutch thereof.

In carrying out my invention, I have combined with a loom-harness knitting-machine,

yshown above the top of the table A, with the exception ofthe two bevel-gears a, b', the sliding clutch c, its operative lever ci, and the heddle mechanism driving gear stopping mechanism B, constitutes a common and wellknown harness knitting-machine for knitting the heddles and their back or braid bands, and consequently need not be further described. This mechanism is marked D. In applying to such machine D mechanism for intermittingly arresting the knitting ofthe heddles, I have the heddle-knitting mechanism driving-gear e of the driving-shaft f arranged to run loosely upon such shaft, and apply to such gear, on its side, a tooth, g, to engage with a sliding clutch, c, arranged on the driving-shaft, and applied thereto so as to revolve therewith and be capable of being moved toward or away from the driving-gear, in order to cause the said gear to be revolved by the clutch and with the shaft at such times as the knitting of the heddles are to be carried on. The furcated arm i of a bent lever, d, enters a groove, k, in the clutch, such lever being arrangedl as shown, and having its other arm, I, provided with a projection or stud, m, which is immediately over a series of pins, o, inserted in and projecting from one side of a worin pattern-gear, p, whose axle is supported by a standard, q, all being as shown. This worm-gear p has extending through it a series of holes arranged in a circle and adapted to receive pins o, which are `to project from the gear in sets of four or other suitable number, with a space between each set and that next to it. With the worm or pattern gear a worm, s, engages, such worm being constructed to simply turn the pattern-gear suddenly through an arc corresponding to the distance between the centers of two of its next adjacent pinholes. The said worm is fixed upon a vertical shaft, t, on whose upper part is tixed a bevel-gear, b, that engages with another bevelgear, a, fastened upon the lower crank-shaft h of the knitting -machine D. During the revolution of the last-named shaft h, the bevelgears a b will be putin action so as to produce a continuous revolution of the shaft t, whereby the pattern-wheel will be intermittingly revolved, and while the tooth or stud m may be passing over and upon any ofthe pins the clutch will be in engagement with the drivinggear, and the knitting of the heddles and back bands will be carried on 5 but on the stud moving oft' any set of the pins, a spring, u, applied to the driving-shaft and the clutch, will force the latter out of engagement with the dri ving-gear e of the heddle-knitting mechanism, whereby such gear will stop revolving and the driving-shaft will simply revolve the driving-gears e w of the mechanism for making the backbands and effecting the feeding of the work. While the stud m may be oft' any set ofthe pins, the heddle-knitting mechanism will be out of operation. The heddle mechanism driving-gear stopping mechanism, marked B, is for the purpose of causing the twine-carrying arm x of the cogged ring y of the heddle-knitting mechanism to be arrested at its proper position in front of the machine. This mechanism B consists not only of a stud, a', projecting from the side of the gear, but of a slide-bar, b', provided with a projection, c', a shoulder, d', and a spring, e', all arranged as represented. The bar b extends through the furcated arm i, and also through a standard, f', of the knitting-machines.

As the furcated arm moves back to disengage the clutch from the gear, it draws the slide-bar b With it, until the projection c is bron ght up to the gear, such projection acting with the stud a to stop the gear from revolving, and revolving the cogged ring when the arm x' is at its stopping position. 0n the fureated arm being moved to force the clutch into engagement with the gear, the slide-bar b Will be moved so as to carry the projection c out of the Way of the stud a', `just before the engagement of the clutch With the gear is effected.

I claiml. vIn combination with a harness-knitting machine, D, mechanism, substantially as described, for intermittingly arresting the operations of' the part of' snoh machine by which the heddles are made, such mechanism, consisting ofthe bevel-gears a b, shaft t, Worin s, pattern-gear 19, having holes and pins, as described, furcated lever d, clutch c, tooth g, and spring u, all arranged and applied essentially as specified.

2. The heddle driving-gear stopping meehanism B, substantially as described, in combination With the loom-harness knitting-machine D, and mechanism, essentially as specied, for intermittingly arresting the opera tions of the part of such machine by which the heddles are made.

3. The heddle driving-gear stopping mechanism B, substantially as described, in combination with mechanism, essentially as speeiy fied, for intermittingly arresting the operations of that part of a harness knitting-machine by which the heddles are knit or formed.

WILLIAM A. HODGKINS. Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, J. R. SNOW. 

